Namibia beat SA to win Cosafa u17 title

NAMIBIA claimed the 2016 Cosafa under-17 Championship title after a 3-1 penalty shoot-out victory over South Africa following a 1-1 draw in the final in Mauritius on Sunday.

Namibia had lost 4-0 to the South Africans in the pool stage, but showed a vastly improved performance as they edged the play in the decider and claimed a deserved win in the shoot-out.

After a goalless first half in which Namibia had the better chances, the deadlock was finally broken midway through the second period when substitute Godwin Awaseb, who had only been on the pitch for three minutes, smashed the ball home.

But that goal spurred South Africa into action and they claimed an equaliser with 20 minutes to go when influential midfielder Thabiso Monyane found the back of the net.

Monyane had a magnificent chance to win it late on, but put his shot wide when well-placed and the game went to penalties, with Namibia keeper Josef Phillipus proving the hero.

Namibia coach Timothy Tjongarero was full of praise for his side after the match.

“It was a very difficult game but we had an idea of the tactic to use and it worked,” Tjongarero said. “Our idea was to frustrate the South African team at the back and throw long balls up there. I think it went well.

“The motivation and the belief was there and we kept on going. Even though they equalised, we still believed we could win.”

Tjongarero was especially proud of his side given the caliber of the opponents they faced.

“They are a good team and we know them well. They have a lot of players who play in academies in South Africa and have quality players in a balanced team. We gave them good competition, as they did to us.”

‘Tjongarero says the experience of playing in the Cosafa u17 Championships would be invaluable to his team.

“For us it was a good level and we faced different opponents with different styles and systems,” he said.

“It helps us to develop and improve. I really appreciate that Cosafa is organising a tournament for the u17 age group and if it is played on a regular basis then it will be very good 10 years later for all the teams in the region,” he said.

‘Malawi, meanwhile, grabbed the bronze medal with a deserved 2-0 victory over an improved Kenya in the third-place play-off.

Malawi had beaten the East African guest nation 5-0 in the pool stages but found them a much tougher nut to crack this time round.

They had to wait until the 58th minute to open the scoring when Peter Banda netted his fifth of the competition, making him the leading scorer for the Cosafa u17 Championships this year.

They doubled their lead with three minutes to go when Francisco Madinga netted to make the win safe.

Peter Banda of Malawi was the tournament’s top goal scorer with five goals, followed by Namibia’s Abram Tjahikika with four goals and Eldery Morgan of Namibia and Nicholas Mulilo of Zambia who each scored three goals. – cosafa.com